


Tyrant

by salty_mommy



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Awkward Kageyama Tobio, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Kageyama Tobio is Bad at Feelings, Male-Female Friendship, Middle School, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Platonic Relationships, Shiratorizawa, You Should Have Come to Shiratorizawa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-19
Updated: 2019-02-22
Packaged: 2019-05-25 13:27:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14978132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/salty_mommy/pseuds/salty_mommy
Summary: Kageyama (with oc) story that takes place during Kageyama's middle school days.So it's basically a prequel? I always feel really bad for little Kags in middle school because he went from a sweet little blueberry to a sour, dried-out blueberry and he deserves more. I promise you that this story does not interfere with the plot of Haikyuu!! later on at all.I have finished the story, but as I started this two years ago, I intend to start majorly editing it as of 05-21-19





	1. Heir to the Throne

I remember the first time I saw the setter in action. The air was thick and muggy that day at nearly dusk on a weekday afternoon in June. Shortly after I, then a first-year, was leaving the calligraphy club room, the loud squeaks of sports shoes on wood coming from the open door frame of the gymnasium drew my attention. It was then that I saw this amazingly gorgeous boy in mid-air, shimmering with perspiration.

I could never possibly forget the gracefully forceful manner he maneuvered the ball. Oikawa Tooru managed to manipulate the volleyball in a way that seemed breathtakingly seductive. Even when slamming it straight into the ground.

However, it wasn't my enchanting senpai that completely enthralled the twelve-year-old me. It was the small, oblivious-looking boy holding a volleyball on the sidelines that captivated me. 

 

* * *

 

I did not see the dark-locked boy often, and even then it was never for long. I knew little to nothing about him. As February was fading into March and exams were soon to begin, I saw him even less. I don't know what about him captivated me, he was seemingly quiet and unremarkable. Still, I found myself looking out for him wherever I thought he might be. This nameless, black-haired boy.

"Mai-chan, we are going to go eat lunch in Jumi-chan's classroom, are you coming?" A friend of mine interrupted as I stared vacantly at my desk.

"Oh?" I said, not actually paying any attention to the word she had just said.

"Whatever, she's a lost cause, let's just go." Ami sighed.

"Sure is cold in the hallway, do they even have the heat on?" Chino whined as she slid the door shut behind her.

I wanted to get up and follow them, but honestly, I didn't have any motivation to get up and move when dozing so comfortably in the warm atmosphere of the classroom. I was far too lazy and content to move.

Fifteen minutes passed before my stomach growled, triggering me to pull out my convenience store sandwich. Aimlessly staring out the window, I ate. I didn't think about much until I saw the same boy walking past the windows with a milk straw between his teeth.

He was neither smiling nor was he showing any signs of displeasure. It hit me at that moment that I had never seen him hanging around with another human being outside of his club. As far as I knew, he had no friends, and the only thought in my mind was: ' _How sad._ '

 

* * *

 

 The only things I could find out about the boy were his name and classroom. I didn't dare approach him or ask my friends about him without coming off as weird. It was too bothersome for them to think I had a crush. It was nothing like that, it was merely curious amusement.

Nearly four months later when the buzz over the infamous 'Oikawa-senpai' had been all but forgotten, I first heard the mumbled rumor of a particularly handsome second-year of the men's volleyball club.

"Kageyama-senpai is so cool and mysterious~!" cooed a first-year as she leaned on the door of the bathroom stall. "

I know, right?" Her friend answered, flushing the toilet and exiting.

"He is so cool, he always looks like he knows all of your secrets." She and her friend made their way up to the sinks and one washed her hands while the other fixed her hair.

By this point in time, I was already applying concealer on a rather nasty face-monster.

"Hey, but I've heard that he's kind of cold."

"How so?"

Their conversation piqued my interest so I applied several layers of watermelon-tinted lip gloss before thoughtfully smacking my lips together.

"Just the other day, he glared at the class rep for asking him to turn in his homework."

"Y'know, I've never seen him smile; I wonder if he could be a tsundere?"

"Maybe he's a sadist."

"No way, I want him to scold me too!"

"You have weird tastes, Honda-chan." 

"Hey first-years," I decided to throw my weight around a bit as I was done listening to their fantasies about ' _Kageyummy-senpai'_ , "the bell is about to ring," I stated with a voice sweet as honey. They were taken back for a moment as if they hadn't noticed me standing there the entire time.

"Ye-es." one of them responded formally before they both scurried off.

I let out a sigh before exiting the bathroom. ' _So this is what people are saying about you..._ '


	2. Crowned Prince

The rumors surrounding the mysterious 'Kageyama Tobio' only got worse from that point. Even though some girls found him attractive, nearly all of them were turned off when they found out how controlling he was when playing volleyball. I too, was a bit afraid of him, however, I put aside any judgment that was based on less-than-dubious rumors. Halfway through summer break of my second year, I still had never even spoken a word to the boy referred to as 'King'. I scoffed at the name. That starry-eyed child a King? No way!

During this time I was watering flowers and pulling weeds for the beautification committee as a replacement for Chibo-chan, who had sprained her ankle rather badly. It was nearly past dusk when I passed by the supposedly deserted gymnasium on the way home.

The thud of volleyballs hitting the hardwood floor shocked me. Nobody was supposed to be on campus at this time, much less practicing this late during summer break. I peered curiously into the door frame to see none other than the King himself.

His tee-shirt was soaked with sweat to the point that it was nearly transparent. Momentarily, he paused to guzzle down a bit of his sports drink and take a seat on the floor. "Tch." The boy narrowed his dark eyes and shuffled through his gym bag for a roll of medical tape. He struggled with winding it evenly around his visibly red finger. Eventually, he became so frustrated he slammed the roll of tape into the floor with a growl of agitation. However, it ricochets and bounced back up to hit him in the middle of his forehead.

I was so overcome with laughter that it caused spastic jerks and my legs could no longer support me. I rammed into the door with a grotesquely loud clang and gasped for breath. My thoughts were in such disarray and I could not even breathe properly. Tears welled up in my eyes due to the humor and pain.

"Who is it?" The rubber soles of his volleyball shoes squeaked on the floorboards. I gathered myself and mustered the strength to crawl up to the steps leading into the gym. I wiped the tears from my eyes.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." I apologized before bursting into an entirely new fit of laughter. "But that was way too funny, I have never seen anything like that happen to anyone before!" From his posture of looking down on me, he looked gloomy and murderous. I brushed off the thought and took out my purse. "You seem to be having trouble wrapping your finger, here, let me see." I wove a miniature first-aid kit in front of him and pat my hand on the cool concrete step next to me.

 

* * *

 

 "This is no good," I sighed, clucking my tongue; "It is jammed." I folded my hand gingerly over his right index finger.

"What are you doing!?" He cried through gritted teeth.

"If I don't pull it out now, you won't be able to set, no?" I asked. "Alright, count to three."

"One," He closed his eyes and braced himself, "tw- what the hell!?" He yowled, drawing his hand back and glaring daggers at me.

"You were counting too slow." I shrugged my shoulders. "Other than that, your hands are _atrocious_ ," I stated, trying to change the subject.

The boy had blisters and bloody hangnails, his fingernails were obviously trimmed in haste.

"How do you do this? Does this not cause pain?" I asked him. Kageyama opened his mouth to retort, but nothing came out. I clucked my tongue and retrieved a travel-sized nail kit and began to shape his digits with the file. "Your hands are very important, you have to take good care of them," I instructed after a brief period of silence. I snipped at the overgrown hangnail on his ring finger with a pair of nail shears.

I rubbed my own fingertips over his palm, expecting the callouses to be smooth and clammy. "Your hands are so dry they are scaly!" I exclaimed, abandoning his nails to dig a tube of hand cream from my purse.

"Alright," I huffed, slathering some lotion between my palms before massaging his chapped hand. "no more hand sanitizer, you need to go to the store and buy yourself some of those spa gloves and let some hand salve soak in overnight." There was a warning tone to my voice as I instructed him. "You cannot afford for your hands to be dry to the point they crack and bleed." I sighed, how could he ever be a King when he's so careless? 

Taken aback, he didn't respond. It was such an odd situation that neither of us could ever have imagined, much less anticipated to happen on that muggy summer evening. I looked up to his face, dark on one side and lit by the gym on the other. He was a whole lot like the moon.

Kageyama seemed as if he intended to say something, but he didn't have a chance to speak.

"Oi, what are you two still doing here? Clean up and go home, it's dangerous for kids to be out this late." The security guard crowed, shining his flashlight's beam into my eyes.

"Yes, sir!" We responded in unison.

 

* * *

 

Since that day, Kageyama and I would acknowledge each other when passing by in the halls. Which was a small yet profound gesture for the king.

He was completely oblivious to the rumors spreading like wildfire behind his back. Maybe he had been far too focused on what was ahead. He had no time to waste looking over his shoulder. He didn't wait for people to catch up to him. But maybe it was also fear that kept him moving forward. Perhaps he thought that by turning around and seeing nobody there, he would lose his motivation to fight.

I didn't want to see him lonely, which was much worse than him being alone. So I continued to stand by him. I was awful at sports and an even worse teacher. I had no patience but I found myself mysteriously drawn to the sullen child. It defied all logic an explanation.

There was no way I could support him all on my own. I knew I couldn't be his everything and I couldn't protect him.

If I couldn't be his everything, then maybe I could at least be _something_. _Someone_.

I silently tucked these thoughts into the back of my mind and continued to stand by him.


	3. Coronation

Even another year didn't improve things. His patience wore thin and brittle. His passion was like a spiteful fire; merciless and indiscriminate in its destruction, it consumed all in its path. I stayed nearby, fire extinguisher in-hand. I couldn't prevent the fire, I could only clean up afterward. Third year we were in the same class. People started to noticeably avoid him. So I got closer to him. I tutored him when his grades dropped, I woke him when he dozed off in class. Even going so far as to venture over to his home and nurse him when he had the flu. I wanted to be there for him. Dutifully, I followed.

Kageyama would walk me home if it was after dark; sometimes he brought me a peach soda (since our school always ran out at lunch). He spent summer of third year lazing on the floor of my bedroom, running his fingers through the coat of my rottweiler.

"I can't believe you finished all of your summer homework the day after and still got over half of them wrong," I remarked, flipping through his printouts.

He had a milk-flavored popsicle hanging out of his mouth. He didn't seem all that concerned, he was probably thinking about volleyball again. What a careless child. 

"Listen, Kageyama-kun." I drew a breath out to blow my bangs off of my forehead. "You are barely passing that class, right now you have a fifty. Anymore points off and you will have to quit volleyball." That got his attention. He sprung up and looked at me eyes wide. Maybe his fingers tensed up, my dog let out a sharp yelp. Furthering the boy's panic, he lifted his hands off of Lottie.

"I can only do so much, and I'm in no way a miracle worker." I declared, opening my arms for the 102-pound canine to nuzzle my abdomen.

He opened his mouth to protest. "No 'buts'." His mouth formed a different shape; as if reading his mind, I spoke: "No you can't copy my work." I set a book down in front of him and swiftly gathered the glasses and empty rice cracker plate from my desk, leaving him opening and closing his mouth like a fish gasping for breath.

Upon my return, he had already set up the low-rise table and was diligently revising his mistakes. I couldn't help but let a smile slide across my face. "Let's get to work." I beamed.

 

* * *

 

Summer wasn't all homework and lazy days. The summer of my third year in middle school I fell in love with a human being for the very first time.

Everything had started when a neighbor mentioned their son to my mother. Of course, as obnoxiously friendly mothers do, she readily extended an invitation towards her newfound best friend's child. Our house, naturally, was at this perfect stranger's disposal. And, as lady luck would have it, our mothers did so happen to get along swimmingly. She was over every day, and every day she toted over her son in hopes that he would make friends with another kid who was roughly around his age.

His name was Daiki Takenaka and he was nowhere near perfect. His hair was violet-toned black, he listened to classical music, and he was tall and lanky. Off-putting at first, but not as arrogant as I had thought.

It was the little things about him I loved. His favorite food was crepe suzette, he had eyes that were black and clear like glass beads, and he carried a tiny, red cat charm with him everywhere he went for good luck. Daiki was a complete dork who constantly wore headphones over his ears, had his nose in a book, and his head in the clouds. I found him annoying. And having a crush on him was beyond bothersome.

While Kageyama went to volleyball practice, oblivious to my emotions, I whiled away my days with a thorny rose blossoming in my chest. Maybe it was hormones or the thrill of adrenaline coursing through my veins, but at the time, if only for a moment, I thought that this feeling would be everlasting.

 

* * *

 

 It soon became difficult for me to consolidate my feelings on my own. I needed someone to confide in. "Kageyama-kun," I began skittishly, "I may have a problem." I hopped up to sit on the counter as his hands roamed freely into the contents of my freezer.

He gave me a semi-concerned glance before helping himself to a milk-flavored popsicle. He was kind of like Lottie when she figured out where the treats were hidden. I gestured for him to hand me one before continuing. " It's about my neighbor, Daiki..." I paused to peel off the wrapper and slide the popsicle into my mouth. "I think I like him?" I averted my eyes to the floor and swung my legs.

It was intended to be a statement but came out as a question. I popped the frozen treat back into my mouth to silence myself. "Well.." Kageyama was dumbfounded, he made various gasping noises and stuttered quite a bit between words. "That's kn-nife." Both of us turned scarlet in embarrassment.

"Good talk." I muttered, leaping off the countertop.

"Un." The setter grunted, licking the popsicle. As awkward and cringy as it already was, it had been the first time I ever treated Kageyama as a truly close friend.

 


	4. Royal Blue

For the next month or so I wasn't the best of friends. Kageyama was so busy with volleyball all of the time, and it stressed him out to no end. I was off in my own world of puppy love.

I wasn't the best time of my life, though I thought so at the time. I asked Daiki out two weeks after the summer break. Much to my pleasure, he said yes.

We were all so young and dumb. Not fully developed, yet already feeling like the vast world in front of us was far too crowded and small for the big people we hoped to be. Those grand schemes were cluttered in our narrow minds. Desperately we cling to one another, even though we scarcely had room for ourselves.

I wasn't there for him, so I suppose I was to blame for his suffering. He needed me then, and it was cruel of me to have ever been so half-assed in any relationship, especially a friendship.

I wrapped myself in a blanket and leaned against the wall of Kageyama's bedroom and watched him set the ball vertically until it fell into his anxious fingertips and he set it once more. His brows furrowed as if in deep contemplation. He reminded me a lot of a kitten kneading a ball of yarn. I amused myself imagining Kageyama as a bitter grey cat, swishing his tail playfully as he pounced on the ball of yarn.

It was November and chilly. However, the weather wasn't the only thing that had turned cold since the summer break. There was a concentrated hardness in the setter's eyes that I hadn't yet noticed developing. It scared me how someone could go from blissfully oblivious to eerily acute. He lived, breathed, and played volleyball. The cycle continued. Alas, his concentration on school subjects was quite contrary to his enthusiasm for the sport.

"You're going to get premature wrinkles, you know" I chided. He didn't respond, he only continued scowling.

Time passed slowly and the boy, sprawled on the bed, considered to set the ball to its rhythmic "bahm, bahm, bahm" without missing a beat.

"We really should be studying."

 _Bahm_ , _bahm_.

I stared at his hands. He was maintaining them better, knowing I would scold him if he didn't. In the past few months, he had become a sturdier human being. Did he even need me? He seemed just fine, in his room, tossing the ball to himself. He probably didn't even notice when I left, so I thought.

 

* * *

 

Just like the last time you lose a baby tooth or the last time your parents picked you up as a child, you don't realize it immediately. You don't know it's the end, immediately. After a while it sinks in; you realize that you can live life without these things, but that doesn't mean you don't feel it.

The moment I realized I missed him, was a very peculiar setting. My boyfriend's room had a fresh breeze blowing in through his opened windows, even though it was freezing outside. I was tangled up in his arms, half-naked and in tears.

Daiki was running his fingers through my hair and trying to hush me. He was wearing boxers and a frown. I sniffled into the sheets.

"It's okay." He said, though I could tell there was no emotion behind it whatsoever. "Mai, you don't have to do it if you don't want to." His voice was a whisper, and I had goosebumps. I was a fool. He was always so quiet, I expected him to be more considerate.

"I'm going home," I lied, extruding myself from his arms. I pulled my jeans off the bedroom floor and pulled on my cobalt blue sweater.

Without another word, our relationship ended.

 

* * *

 

I didn't want to go home quite yet, I didn't want to sit alone in my room and sob until my pillowcase became drenched with tears. So I found myself wandering the streets until dusk. I kept my eyes fixed on the ground, and plodded onward without regard to destination. When I looked up from my feet, I found myself outside an apartment building.

I roamed about, climbing up a few flights of stairs and loitering in front of a few doors before coming to a complete stop. I looked at the nameplate. " _Kageyama_ ". Everything was foggy, and I wasn't aware of what I was going to do next.

I raised my arm and held it there for a few minutes before slamming my fist against the door a few times.

A disheveled Kageyama answered the door with a yawn and messy hair. He obviously was half-awake and none too happy that someone had interrupted his afternoon nap. He jolted awake when he saw me there. He opened the door a bit wider and moved to the side to let me enter. While we hadn't necessarily been on speaking terms, but he was the only one I could go to at a time like this. My other friends would have just laughed and asked me why I didn't want to have sex with the guy I was so crazy in love with. Kageyama was neutral, he neither liked nor disliked my relationship with Daiki. He was the only one I could trust to be honest in this situation.

He put on the tea kettle and guided me to the bathroom. He pulled out his softest tee shirt, a hoodie, and a pair of his athletic shorts. I felt so cold. I washed all of the dried sweat and smeared mascara from my skin. I shampooed my hair and let the hot suds wash everything away. Apparently, I hadn't noticed just how hot the shower was, and when I came out, my skin was pink and minorly scalded. I got dressed quickly and towel-dried my hair. Kageyama was waiting for me in his room with two mugs of steaming tea, one being half-drunk, and a plate of rice crackers. I curled up in his bed next to him and wrapped my fingers around the warm porcelain mug. My favorite one, it had Gudetama on it.

He did not ask for an explanation or an apology. He just sat there and let me rest my head on his chest, listen to his steady heartbeat thump.

' _bahm, bahm, bahm_ '

After downing my tea and setting to mug on his desk, I poured my heart out to him. He pulled a blanket over the two of us and listened silently as I told him everything. I confessed how much I loved Daiki, but how sometimes he was too intense in the bedroom. I told Kageyama about how when we made love he said awful things, did awful things, I couldn't stand it. Even if it was only dirty talk and minor bites. Without judgment or comment, he dried my tears and waited for me to finish. I told him I felt useless as a woman. I told him I didn't deserve Daiki.

He threaded his fingers through my hair and massaged my scalp. Kageyama never said anything but grunted occasionally. Maybe he was embarrassed about the subject matter, but he let me get everything off my chest. I had my arms wrapped around him, an ear pressed to his chest.

He was warm and Daiki was cold. I almost felt bad for being in another guy's bedroom, mere hours after fleeing from my boyfriend's. Almost.

I did not fall into hysterics because his heartbeat stayed steady, _'bahm, bahm, bahm'_. I fell asleep in another man's arms, into a wordless sleep. One that was blue, and peaceful, and warm.


	5. Heavy is the Head

I rolled over in bed, an empty spot perfect for snuggling into. A drawer opened, I peeped an eye open and watched Kageyama shuffle through his dresser. "Good morning.' He muttered, not even looking behind him. 

"Just got back from your run?" I asked, my throat hoarse from all of the sobbings. There was sunlight coming in through the windows and illuminating all of the dust modes flitting in the air. 

 

He grunted in response, selecting a pair of socks and exchanging his sweaty ones for clean ones.

 

"I am sorry.' I sat up in bed. 

 

"Sorry for what?" He asked, pushing the drawer closed and facing me. 

 

'Being a shitty friend." I sighed, getting my lazy ass out of bed.

 

He shrugged his shoulders. Had it not even occurred to him how awful I was? I ignored him for weeks and then I show up on his doorstep crying for help. But then again, had he ever really had any other friends?

 

We walked out of his bedroom to the kitchen and I fried up some eggs for us. We talked about volleyball during breakfast. I dressed back into my clothes from the day before (which he obviously had washed while I was sleeping). He had volleyball practice that morning and I had to go home and do my classical literature homework, so he walked me home on his way to school. 

 

* * *

 

The sun was shining and the autumn air felt fresh. I couldn't help but think about everything from the night before. How weak and useless I felt, that dull pain of being seen as unwanted. I hated that I felt like it was my fault when I knew I couldn't control it. I wanted to hate Daiki, but I only hated myself. My chest felt heavy as we walked. It hurt to breathe, it hurt to think. 

 

Kageyama may not have been the most observant, but he seemed to notice. He reached out his hand nervously, probably the only time he ever made the first move to be friendly and held my hand as if to tell me I wasn't alone. Yet he didn't say anything. Not a casual conversation, he just let me mull over my thoughts while reassuring me that I wasn't alone. He didn't bring up anything about Daiki until right before I entered my house. "If he ever tries to touch you again, I will break his neck." I closed the door with a tired smile of thanks. 

 

I slid against the door, wailing, wondering what I had done to deserve such a good friend. 

 

 


	6. Dethroned

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah yes, our story is finally at its second to the last chapter. i feel like this chapter is very depressing. i cannot belive i have been writing tyrant for close to two years now. it's weird to complete a fic that's not a oneshot. in fact, this may just be my first actual fic. wow.

I saw less and less of Kageyama in the end of our third year. He was heavily engrossed in volleyball. It was an unhealthy obsession of the sorts. All the kid wanted to do was to play volleyball.

Even when we hung out, he just sat there with his angsty, pensive face. “Don’t do that.” I would say, poking a finger in the middle where he would knit his brows.

I had several boyfriends throughout that year. None of them were particularly memorable and I often didn’t keep the same one around for long. Kageyama and I never spoke of it, but he and I had a system. He didn’t question my constant transferral of boyfriends and I wouldn’t pester him about how many hours he spent obsessing over volleyball. It was a deeply flawed system in which we enabled each other's vices, and neither of us talked about how we had slowly lost any other friends we’d had.

Even Chibo-chan, who I had been friends with for as long as I could remember, ditched me to hang out with a new group of friends. 

Kageyama and I often spent most nights of the week at each other’s houses (when I wasn’t hanging out with a boy or when he wasn’t tossing a ball into the air). We both were studying to enter Shiratorizawa. He was going for volleyball, and I… Well, I didn’t really think about it, I just chose the most prestigious school in our area and went for it. If I worked hard enough, maybe I could even get a scholarship.

I often thought to myself about whether or not it was worth it for Kageyama. Was it worth all this wasted free time to study for an exam that he had little to no chance in passing? Was playing on a certain volleyball team worth all of these all-nighters? Maybe I only thought this because I felt that perhaps it was a fruitless endeavor. Maybe I thought I was just wasting my time helping him. I had probably given up on him somewhere along the way. That was one of my worst mistakes as a friend. 

“It’s really a shame.” I sighed, looking over some of our practice answers.

He didn’t ask but looked in my general direction as if to tell me to go on.

“You are really smart,” I crossed out and corrected one of his answers, “but only on the court.” Looking back, that was a real douchebag thing to say.

I got out of my desk chair and flopped onto the bed next to him, kicking his legs over to make more room. “It won’t be easy,” I said gravely. High school entrance exams were nothing to sneeze at. “But I think by the time I am finished, I will make a Shiratorizawa man out of you yet.”

He looked at me seriously and unwaveringly grunted in agreement. He trusted me completely and undeniably to help him pass his entrance exam. My heart filled with warm, motherly love. I suppressed a squeal and ruffled his hair. I expected no other outcome than for the two of us to both pass entrance exams with flying colors and continue our relationship the way it was.

And then the day came where we both got our letters from Shiratorizawa. I rushed to him during lunch, in the gym where he practiced and handed it to him. He handed his envelope to me. He opened my letter, his face was unfaltering and passive. I scanned through his letter before I could panic about my own fate.

My stomach dropped. My mouth tasted like sand. I reread the same line over and over again. “Are those happy tears?” He asked the poor kid had no clue. He was so nervous. He was so dumb. All he wanted to do was play volleyball.

I tackled him and sobbed into his sweaty sports jersey. At that moment it didn’t matter whether or not I had gotten into Shiratorizawa. The only thing that mattered was Kageyama, and how his dreams were dashed before they were in his grasp.

Kageyama may have failed his entrance exam, but I failed Kageyama.

 

* * *

 

Kageyama was accepted into his backup school, a fallen powerhouse of years gone by. He seemed to get more burnt out and frustrated as graduation lurched closer and closer. Any remaining patience that he had once had regarding his teammates had completely dissipated. He never once blamed me, but it was my fault. And because of that, he had difficulty with the only thing he loved in the world, volleyball. Not making it into Shiratorizawa had set him back. 

It was graduation day, all of our classmates went out to celebrate. Kageyama Tobio was nowhere to be found. It was a chilly, overcast day, my school uniform was too small. Too tight on the chest and hips. Too short along the cuffs and the hemlines. I had a rash of goosebumps on my visible skin as I wandered around campus for what would be the last time. I stopped outside of the gymnasium, where I had met him years before.

I paused and closed my eyes. If I focused hard enough, I was there. It was still June. I was twelve years old and in the calligraphy club. It was humid and hard to breathe, I could hear the sneakers squeaking on shiny wood floorboards. I traveled back and became unstuck in time. My body was lighter and my mind was empty of all of the pessimism and unsatisfaction that I felt as a third-year.

I let out my breath and the moment was gone. The wind was frigid and unbearably so. The gym wasn’t open and inviting. It was closed and cold as if it were hunkering down. I shivered when I touched the cool metal handle and turned it. There wasn’t a boy panting and sweating, always on his feet, eagerly going for “one more toss”.

No.

There was a defeated and lonely boy, curled into a ball, crumpling his certificate in his hands. He looked so much smaller than he did as a first year, despite his physical growth. His lust for power and strength had killed his vitality and sincerity. He was a husk of the child who was just thrilled to be part of something he loved.

I pulled him up to his feet and didn’t look him in the eyes. But I dragged him out of there. I tugged his hand until we were off campus. Eventually, we walked hand-in-hand, side-by-side. We got to his apartment complex, and then I looked him in the face and kissed him on the cheek before saying goodbye.

I didn’t know what would become of Kageyama once he entered Karasuno in the spring. There was a part of me that didn’t want to know whether he would or wouldn’t make friends. The only thing I know is that that day, we both changed. Things would never be the same as they were on that one fateful day in June. 


	7. Long Live the King

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter and it took me a little longer to write because I refused to believe it was ending for some reason.

I watched him play against Shiratorizawa and win. The boy who was cold and bitter made his team run well, like a well-oiled machine. Though I was on my school’s side, I ended up cheering for the boy I used to know. It made me feel better. 

We lost touch after the school year ended, it was my fault, really. In middle school, advanced classes had been a cakewalk, but the academic prowess of Shiratorizawa was nothing to sneeze at. I devoted most of my time to studying and what little free time I had, I spent with my new friends, new boyfriends.

I saw him playing on that court and I saw neither the boy, dejected and mourning into his diploma nor the excitable child eager to earn his place alongside his elders. I saw a young man, with clear eyes and precision like no other. I almost did not recognize him. He was someone who had earned the trust of his teammates and respected them. He did not want to lose, but he was now competing in a more healthy way. He had matured on his own and without any help from me.

 

* * *

 

After their victory, I caught sight of Kageyama on his way out. He was talking to his short, spiky-haired teammate. Though it looked more like friendly banter. 

"Ah, Kageyama-kun!” I called out without thinking. I cursed under my breath. I wasn’t prepared to say anything to him. It was almost reflexive to want to talk to him. As if after this game we would head over to his house and work on homework and eat milk-flavored popsicles like we always did. As if nothing had changed. 

He looked around for a moment to see who called before his sharp, blue eyes landed on me. “Mai? Is that you?” He asked, walking closer. “I hardly recognized you!” He was smiling a little and his eyes were happy. It was rare to see him smile. Even after all of those years in middle school, I had only managed to get him to smile a few times. Perhaps that was only because he had just won a game, maybe he wasn't smiling because of me, but at me.

I pulled Kageyama into a tight hug and had to pinch my eyelids shut to keep from letting the tears fall out. I forgot how much I missed him, how much I needed him. My closest, and maybe my only friend. A brother? Perhaps. 

“Hey, hey, who’s this?” The orange-haired boy asked. He bounced excitedly and looked at me inquisitively as I let Kageyama go but hesitated to let go of his hand. 

“This is Mai, she’s my friend.” He said somewhat proudly. 

“Woah! Kageyama has friends?” The boy gasped. There was a new light in his eyes. 

“Hinata-boke!” He growled.

I giggled. Both of their attention turned towards me before they could further their altercation. “I should be the one saying that.” I drew him into another hug. “ _You_ are the one who’s changed the most.”

 I stepped back again and gave him a glance. "I couldn't be more proud of you, Kageyama-kun." And then the tears began to flow freely. 

"You made her cry!" The orange-haired boy, Hinata, Kageyama's friend, whined. 

"Shut up!" Kageyama barked before turning back to me. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?" He turned to me, not knowing what to do. 

"Hey, it's time to get on the bus." A short boy with wild blonde and brown hair called followed by a taller, bald man. "Oi, what's going on?" He demanded.

"Kageyama made her cry!" Hinata blurted. 

"Kageyama!" The bald man glared. "You dare call yourself a man!"

I couldn't stop the tears, I was sniffling and causing a scene. Soon, other members of the Karasuno volleyball team were gathered to see what the commotion was. 

"Mai, what's wrong?" He grabbed both of my hands away from my face. 

"I'm," I sniffled, "just so happy you made so many friends!" I sobbed, collapsing into him once more. 

 

* * *

 After I had calmed down and my tears were dried, I looked around at all of his teammates, all of the people Kageyama had surrounded himself with. I knew he was going to be okay.  

We parted ways that evening with promises that we would meet up next time we were able to, like the old days. My heart was full of love and pride as I saw him board the bus with his teammates.

I knew from the last moment I saw him that day on the court that he would be alright from now on.  ‘ _The king is dead, long live the king,"_ I thought to myself.


End file.
